The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose and the Denver Nuggets’ Ty Lawson have been named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week for games played Monday, Feb. 27, through Sunday, March 4. Rose led Chicago to a 4-0 week with averages of 28.8 points, 7.5 assists and 1.75 steals. Rose tallied 30-plus points twice, including a high of 35 to close the week on March 4 during a 96-91 win at Philadelphia. With three of their four wins coming away from
As expected, Rajon Rondo was on a mission against Jeremy Lin, with a triple double (18 PTS, 20 AST and an amazing 17 REB) and Paul Pierce was superb with 34, as the Celtics needed overtime to beat the Knicks. Lin had 14 & 5, Carmelo Anthony (25) and Amare Stoudemire (16 & 13) were solid and the New York bench outscored Boston’s 45-15, only to fall short. It was a great tipoff to a Sunday of hoops on TV. Elsewhere NJN
The Rockets have struggled offensively out of the gates after the All-Star break. Facing the Nuggets at home may just be the cure they needed, because Denver is the worst defensive road team in the league. The Houston Rockets (21-15) look to regain their offensive form against the Denver Nuggets (19-17) as both teams fight for playoff positioning in the Western Conference in Friday’s game of the night. The odds favor Houston (the line is 3.5) as they sit 15-4 at home this
Tracy McGrady was clearly upset with his playing time lately, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution “I’m tired of this (garbage)”. Drew said he met with McGrady to discuss his comments, and that it was handled “in house”. Deron Williams became the 5th player since 1979 to make eight 3-pointers and 10 free throws in the same game. 15 of his 22 field goal attempts were from at least 20 feet away, and he did not hit his first two-point field goal until
Derrick Rose scored 23 points in his return as the Bulls handled Atlanta. It was a makeshift lineup for the Hawks, with Marvin Williams (personal) replaced in the starting five by Willie Green. Then Joe Johnson left early with a sore knee, though it doesn’t sound too serious. Neither Jeff Teague nor Kirk Hinrich had a great afternoon; seldom-used Jannero Pargo outplayed them both. After complaining in public about his playing time, Tracy McGrady got almost 22 minutes. Around the League Deron
The Los Angeles Clippers have come a long way. Once the laughingstock of the NBA, they are on national TV for the second straight night as they welcome the Denver Nuggets in Thursday’s best game. This is a rematch of the Clippers’ 109-105 victory on Sunday. This time, the Nuggets will have back speedster Ty Lawson to run with the Clippers’ star guard trio of Chris Paul, ex-Nugget Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams. It will also be the first time Timofey Mozgov
In many ways, the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers are mirror images of each other, which is why their meeting at the Wells Fargo Center is the NBA’s best game Wednesday night. Both the Nuggets and 76ers are taking a radical approach to success. Instead of fronting their roster with two or three superstars, they have – out of necessity – instead built deep teams with quality players. Both have eight players averaging better than eight points per game. Denver is 27-12
After consecutive 11-game nights and before another 11-game slate on the league’s unofficial holiday of Martin Luther King Day, the NBA adopts its customary strategy on Sundays in January of refusing to schedule heavily against the NFL. That leaves a just three-game board, with the Utah Jazz visiting the Denver Nuggets likely the best game. Hey, it can’t be Lakers-Clippers every night. And that Broncos-Patriots game was a real thriller, huh? This is Utah’s second visit to the Mile High City. Their